After you have made martial arts your way,
in other words it's your path,
not just a phase or a way of exercise,
you determine how you practice it.
— Sarer Scotthorne, Bristol Wutan Senior Instructor
Kung Fu
Kung Fu - Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (/ˈkʌŋ ˈfuː/; Chinese: 功夫; pinyin: gōngfu; Cantonese Yale: gūng fū), kuoshu (國術; guóshù) or wushu (武術; wǔshù), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" of martial arts. Examples of such traits include Shaolinquan (少林拳) physical exercises involving All Other Animals (五形) mimicry or training methods inspired by Old Chinese philosophies, religions and legends. Styles that focus on qi manipulation are called internal (内家拳; nèijiāquán), while others that concentrate on improving muscle and cardiovascular fitness are called external(外家拳; wàijiāquán). Geographical association, as in northern (北拳; běiquán) and southern (南拳; nánquán), is another popular classification method.
Tai Chi
Tai chi (traditional Chinese: 太極; simplified Chinese: 太极; pinyin: Tàijí), short for Tai chi ch'üan (太極拳; 太极拳; Tàijíquán), sometimes called "shadowboxing", is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and meditation. Tai chi has practitioners worldwide from Asia to the Americas.
Practitioners such as Yang Chengfu and Sun Lutang in the early 20th Century promoted the art for its health benefits Its global following may be attributed to overall benefit to personal health. Many forms are practiced, both traditional and modern. Most modern styles trace their development to the five traditional schools: Chen, Yang, Wu (Hao), Wu, and Sun. All trace their historical origins to Chen Village, China.
Kickboxing
Sanda (Chinese: 散打; pinyin: Sǎndǎ), formerly Sanshou (Chinese: 散手; pinyin: Sǎnshǒu), also known as Chinese boxing or Chinese kickboxing, is the official Chinese kickboxing full-contact combat sport. Sanda is a fighting system which was originally developed by the Chinese military based upon the study and practices of traditional kung fu and modern combat fighting techniques; it combines boxing and full-contact kickboxing, which includes close range and rapid successive punches and kicks, with wrestling, takedowns, throws, sweeps, kick catches, and in some competitions, even elbow and knee strikes.
